Defeating Elo Hell: Climbing into Esports
“I’m going to be the best player in the world someday.”
Imagine. You’re standing at that peak with everyone looking up at you, all the players are aspiring to either become you or beat you. It paints a nice picture.
Gaming has transformed to a media front-runner. With over 1.5 billion players worldwide, hundreds of titles offer opportunities to their best players, and all eyes are on that top spot or world championship trophy.
Whatever the game, If you’re like me you’ve probably sat at your desk on more than one occasion, staring at some ladder rank you’re dissatisfied with and thinking to yourself: “How am I ever going to get out of this Elo hell?”
Elo hell refers to the level of matchmaking that 90% of players find themselves in every day (i.e. your bronze, silver, and golds). You will likely start here and have to work hard to find your way out.
For the last thirteen years, I’ve spent my time climbing ranks across every game title imaginable, pushing my boundaries to be the best. Today, we’re going to talk about what it takes to defeat Elo hell in any game you play.
“Esports is 50% motivation, 49% dedication, and 1% natural ability.”
Nobody is born a professional player and most titles start everyone on a relatively level playing field. Before climbing, if you want a shot at entering esports you need to think hard if you’re willing to commit to it.
Motivation is the first step which comes from your own willingness and desire to win. I firmly believe that you need a competitive drive to enter esports. You also need to make sure that motivation is healthy. Don’t get confused, “just one more game” is not an example of healthy motivation and using cheats is not having a “competitive drive.” Recognize when to push further and when to take a step back from an unhealthy situation.
Dedication comes next. Once you’ve made the leap you have to understand the time and effort needed to achieve it. Avoiding tilt, burnout, and other poor health habits will be part of the journey to success. Regular exercise, maintaining a proper diet, taking periodic breaks, and getting enough sleep will help you reach it.
Video games are, by design, time consuming. If you cannot support your gaming habit or have to support others then you need to think hard if it is really for you. It can be a great opportunity, just make sure your personal obligations are in order beforehand.
“If you put in the work, results will show.” Generally this is true, but you also need to put in the right kind of work.
If you’re the type of player that has a preferred genre, great, that helps with familiarity. If you’re like me, swapping from League of Legends, to Hearthstone, to Starcraft, to Call of Duty, etc. then there’s a learning curve you need to prepare for.
Understanding your game is crucial to high-level success. You don’t have to become an analyst overnight, but you need to take your play time and research time seriously. If you’re new, start small by learning the different basics:
The Basics (where applicable):
- Characters
- Controls
- Abilities
- Weapons
- Current Meta (for existing games)
Once you’ve got a good grasp, work your way into the more difficult topics:
- Maintaining Awareness
- Efficient Timing
- Pathing and Positioning
- Picks and Counters
- Understanding Numbers and Scaling
Begin reviewing your previous game footage and learn from it. With a foundational understanding of your game you will immediately improve against others. Applying knowledge yields positive results.
You will eventually lose, so don’t stress out.
Question: How many games did the smurf play on other accounts before reaching that skill level? Answer: A lot. Very few people have the innate talent to win without practice, and none of them win every single time. At some point you will be beat and it will not be your “team’s fault.” Getting beat by better players helps you understand your gaps and growth opportunities.
Whenever I hear people say “I got outplayed,” I want to know more. Was your reaction slow? Did you pay attention to comms? Sure, you lost the match, but there are specific reasons you can identify to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Last, nobody enjoys losing, but it is also important to gauge yourself among your peers. Are you playing the most meta strategies? Can you handle the competition? At the end of the day you’ll ask yourself, “What can I be doing better?”
Speaking of doing things better, at some point you may reach the bleeding edge. You’re in the Top 1% and want to break into competitions… now what? If you want to win, you’ll need to be better, faster, and smarter than the competition. How do you do this? Learn constantly.
Come up with your own strategies, tinker with the meta, and improve upon it.. you may find something nobody thought of. This is the threshold where you go from watching and reading to building and doing.
A sobering reminder, the competition will never wait for you to catch up and it will never stop trying to be better than you.
Make friends!
Seriously. Grow your circle and get involved with the community. Your greatest opportunity for rapid advancement and fulfillment is to meet better players, learn from them, join their teams, and progress. The gaming community is full of people that are happy to share knowledge. Figure out who isn’t faking it, grow with them, and build something that’ll last.
Last, be a positive influence. I can talk at length about why it’s a good idea to be positive versus being toxic, but I’ll boil it down to this: If you treat others with honor, dignity, and respect you’ll find playing any game more enjoyable and much easier.
How far you progress is up to you. With a strong motivation, deep dedication, and a learner’s mind, anyone can defeat Elo hell and climb the ranks.
Sincerely,
James Cole @NTGxJames
P.S. If you are a player, team, or organization looking for more information on how to breach into esports, please leave a comment below or contact me at james@nontoxic.gg. I am happy to listen and consult by request. If you are a creator and want to collaborate please reach out as well! Esports is a community and I love working with others in industry.
Resources:
Esports Evolved: Complexity Gaming’s Educational YouTube Series This is a great place to start if you’re wondering what being in esports really looks like.
Life of a Professional Gamer: Complexity Gaming’s Insight Series I like adding this as well because you get to hear from players what their experience was like from start, to signing, to now playing for a professional team.
Kevin Hoang for Collegiate Esports Inquiries — Kevin is a fantastic mind and has been one of the most vocal and impactful people in collegiate esports. Highly recommended.
Rise Above the Disorder — If you’re a gamer and need mental health support, definitely reach out to them. Everyone needs support at times and it’s good to have a place to go to when needed.
